Champions – who do they know …

The most important thing you can do when you are looking for clients is to find your champion. That is someone who will introduce and preferably recommend your abilities. These can be anyone in your current network that understands what you deliver and what you stand for.

Obtaining introductions to those you want to do business with is a time consuming and often disheartening activity. Cold calling is much, much colder without the endorsement of someone who knows, likes and trusts you already.

If and when you do receive a lead – contact that someone before you contact the lead. Firstly, thank them for the lead – it will encourage them to do more. Secondly, find out as much about the lead as you can. Fill out the client profile: who are they, are they the decision maker, what’s their need, how soon do they want to by and what sort of budget can you expect? These four things are really important to know before you call.

Your champions can come from many places. Some will be from your current business networks, others from the colleagues of a previous employment, some from university, college or school. There maybe others from your church perhaps or social clubs perhaps. One of the best tools to develop a champion base is through LinkedIn.